An apparatus for grasping a jar and aiding in lid opening includes a base element that may be placed on a surface, and a top housing that is rotatably secured to the base element. A spiral guide element located between the base element and the top housing includes at least one spiral groove. One or more jaw members may be moveably secured to the top housing, and have a protrusion located within the spiral groove(s). The rotation of the top housing in a first direction (with respect to the base element) causes at least one of the jaw members to move radially inward with respect to the axis to engage a base of container. The rotation of the top housing in a second direction causes at least one jaw member to move radially outward with respect to the axis to disengage with the base of the container.
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1. An apparatus for grasping a container and aiding in unscrewing a lid that is secured to the container by a right-hand thread, the apparatus comprising:
a base element configured to be placed on a surface;
a top housing rotatably secured to the base element and configured to rotate about an axis with respect to the base element, the top housing having a flat surface for receiving the container and a raised outer periphery, the raised outer periphery configured to provide a surface for grasping the apparatus and rotating the top housing relative to the base element;
a spiral guide element located between the base element and the top housing, the spiral guide element including a plurality of interleaved spiral grooves, each groove having an origin proximate to the axis and configured to occupy, about the axis, an angular extent of greater than 360 degrees;
a plurality of jaw members moveably secured to the top housing, each of the plurality of jaw members having a protrusion located within a different one of the plurality of spiral grooves and configured to move along its corresponding spiral groove;
wherein the spiral grooves are configured so that, rotation of the top housing about the axis in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from above, causes the jaw members to move radially inward to engage the container, so that application of a torque to the lid, in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from above, to unscrew the lid tends to cause the top housing itself to rotate in the counterclockwise direction so as to tighten the jaw members against the container.
2. An apparatus according to
at least one engagement member located on the base element and configured to engage the surface, thereby holding the apparatus in place during rotation of the top housing.
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at least one leg member extending from the base element and configured to engage an edge of the surface during rotation of the top housing.
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/317,837, filed Apr. 4, 2016, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Gripping a Container During Lid Opening,” and naming Romek Figa as inventor, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, in its entirety by reference.
This application also claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/341,884, filed May 26, 2016, entitled “Apparatus and Method For Gripping a Container For Lid Opening,” and naming Romek Figa as inventor, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, in its entirety by reference.
This patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/296,502, entitled “Apparatus and Method For Gripping a Container For Lid Opening,” naming Romek Figa as inventor, filed on even date herewith, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.
The present invention relates to opening container lids, and more particularly to devices and methods that grasp a container during lid opening
Many food products are packaged, shipped and purchased in glass or plastic jars with a screw-on lid that needs to be removed in order to access the contents of the jar. In order to maintain the freshness and cleanliness of the product within the container, the lids are often times thoroughly tightened and sometimes vacuum sealed. This, in turn, makes the lids difficult to remove. The struggle to remove the lid is greater for those individuals suffering from arthritis or dexterity issues, and the task of holding the container in one hand and twisting off the very tight lid becomes very difficult if not nearly impossible
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for grasping a jar and aiding in lid opening includes a base element configured to be placed on a surface, and a top housing rotatably secured to the base element. The top housing may rotate about an axis with respect to the base element. The apparatus may also include a spiral guide element and a plurality of jaw elements. The spiral guide element is located between the base element and the top housing and includes at least one spiral groove. The jaw members may be moveably secured to the top housing, and each of the jaw members may have a protrusion located within the spiral groove(s) such that the protrusion(s) may move along the spiral groove(s). Rotation of the top housing in a first direction (e.g., counter clock wise) may cause at least one of the jaw members to move radially inward with respect to the axis to engage a base of container. Rotation of the top housing in a second direction may cause at least one jaw member to move radially outward with respect to the axis to disengage with the base of the container.
In some embodiments, the apparatus may also include at least one engagement member that is located on the base element and may engage the surface (e.g., to hold the apparatus in place during rotation of the top housing). For example, the engagement member(s) may include a plurality of feet members located on an underside of the base element. The feet members may contact the surface and/or increase the friction between the apparatus and the surface to hold the apparatus in place during rotation of the top housing. Additionally or alternatively, the engagement members may be suction cups or vacuum cups that stick to/suction to the surface.
In other embodiments, the apparatus may include at least one leg member that extends from the base element and engages an edge of the surface during rotation of the top housing. The leg member(s) may engage the edge of the surface during removal of a lid from the container. For example, the leg members may include a first leg member and a second leg member. The first leg member may be nearer a first end of the base element, and the second leg member may be located nearer a second end of the base element. In such embodiments, the first leg element is configured to engage the edge of the surface during rotation of the top housing in a first direction, and the second leg member configured to engage the edge of the surface during rotation of the top housing in a second direction.
Each jaw member may include a body portion, and the protrusion may extend from the bottom of the body portion. Additionally or alternatively, the top housing may include a plurality of slots extending through the top housing, and each of the protrusions may extend through one of the slots and into the spiral groove(s). For example, there may be a plurality of spiral grooves and the protrusion from each of the jaw members may be located in a dedicated spiral groove. In some embodiments, the spiral element may include an opening extending through it, and the top housing may have a protrusion extending downward and through the opening to allow the top housing to rotate about the axis and with respect to the spiral guide element and the base member. Each jaw member may include a resilient member that grasps the base of the container.
In accordance with other embodiments, the device may include a brace member that is removably secured to the base element. The brace member may have a horizontal portion configured to rest on the surface, and a vertical portion configured to engage the edge of the surface to prevent rotation of the device during use. The brace member may also include post member(s) extending from the horizontal portion and into hole(s) in the base element when the brace member is secured to the device. The brace member may also have a hinge between the horizontal portion and the vertical portion. The hinge may allow the horizontal portion and vertical portion to move relative to one another.
The foregoing features of embodiments will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide a jar gripping device that aids in the removal of a lid from the jar. The device has a rotatable housing and a number of jaws that move inward to grasp and hold the jar. Once the jaws grasp the jar, the user is then free to use both hands to remove the lid. Details of the illustrative embodiments are discussed in greater detail below.
Residing on top of the base 110, the device 100 may have a top housing 120 that provides a surface 130 on which the jar to be opened may be placed. The top housing 120 may be flat or, as shown in
As discussed in greater detail below, the top housing 120 may rotate about an axis and with respect to the base portion 110 to adjust the location of several jaw members 140A/140B/140C that grasp and hold the jar/container in place. To that end, and as best shown in
Within the interior of the device 100 (e.g., between the base member 110 and the top housing 120), the device 100 includes a spiral guide member 160 that is secured to the base member 110. As best shown in
As mentioned above, to grasp the jar and hold it in place, the device 100 may include a number of jaw members 140A/140B/140C that, as discussed in greater detail below, reside within slots 150A/150B/150C in the top housing 120. The jaw members 140A/B/C are able to move back and forth within the slots (e.g., radially inward and outward with respect to the center of the top housing) in order to accommodate for various jar/container sizes. As shown in
To facilitate the interaction with each of the slots 150A/B/C, each of the jaw members 140A/140B/140C includes a ridge 147 along a length of the underside of the body portion 142. When assembled with the top housing 120, this ridge 147 sits within the slot 150A/B/C for the respective jaw member 140A/140B/140C. To secure the jaw member 140A/140B/140C to the top housing 120, the ridge 147 may include one or more threaded holes 149 in which a screw 148 (
Also on the underside of the body portion 141, each of the jaw members 140A/B/C has a protrusion 145 (e.g., a post member) that extends downward from the jaw member 140A/B/C and through the slot 150A/B/C. As best shown in
During use, to adjust the location of the jaw members 140A/B/C, the user may rotate the top housing 120. As the top housing 120 rotates, the jaw members 140A/B/C (which as discussed above are secured to the top housing 120) will rotate with the top housing 120 and the protrusion 145 will move along within the respective guide channel 162/164/166 of the guide member 160. This, in turn, will cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to move radially inward or outward (e.g., within the slot 150A/B/C) with respect to the center of the device 100 (e.g., with respect to the axis of rotation) depending on the direction of rotation of the top housing 120. For example, if the top housing is moved in a first direction (e.g., counter clockwise), the protrusion 145 will follow the respective guide channel 162/164/166 toward the center of the spiral guide member 160 and the jaw members 140A/B/C will move radially inward (see
It is important to note that, although the direction of rotation to move the jaw members 140A/B/C inward and outward may vary (e.g., in some embodiments a counter clockwise rotation may cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to move inward and in other embodiments a clockwise rotation may cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to move inward), is some embodiments it may be preferable to set the direction based on the rotational movement required to open and/or close the lid on the jar/container. For example, in order to ensure that the jaw members 140A/B/C do not loosen when twisting of the lid, in some embodiments, it may be preferable to set the direction of rotation to move the jaw members 140A/B/C radially inward (e.g., to tighten the jaw members 140A/B/C) to be counterclockwise. Therefore, in such embodiments, as the user begins to twist off the jar lid, any force applied to the device will only cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to tighten on the jar as opposed to loosen.
It should be noted that, because the device 100 securely grasps and holds the jar 300 and the device 100 remains stationary on the kitchen surface, the user is free to use one or both hands to remove the lid 310. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with arthritis and/or low dexterity as the user no longer needs to manipulate the jar 300 with one hand and turn the lid 310 with the other.
After removing the lid 310 from the jar 300, the user may simply reverse the process to remove the jar 300 from the device. For example, after the lid 310 is removed, the user may rotate the top housing 120 in the opposite direction (e.g., clockwise). This, in turn, will cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to disengage from the jar 300 and begin to move radially outward away from the center of the device 100 and the jar 300. Once the jaw members 140A/B/C are moved sufficiently far away, the user may then remove the jar 300 from the device to access to contents of the jar 300.
For example, in embodiments containing the leg members 330A/330B, when the top housing 120 is rotated in a clock-wise direction, leg member 330A (e.g., the vertical portion 332A) will be forced against the edge 344 of the countertop 340 to prevent the device 100 from rotating. Conversely, when the top housing 120 is rotated in the counter clockwise direction (or the lid 320 is being removed), leg member 330B (e.g., vertical portion 332B) will be forced against the edge 344 of the countertop 340 to prevent the device 100 from rotating. It should be noted that, to further prevent the device 100 from rotating, the user may position their body against the non-engaging leg member (e.g., leg member 330B during clockwise rotation and leg member 330A during counter clockwise rotation) to hold the device 100 against the edge of the surface/counter. To prevent damage to the surface 340 (e.g., the top 342 and/or the edge 344 of the surface 340), the leg members 330A/330B may include padding (not shown) on the leg surfaces contacting the countertop/surface 340.
To prevent the leg members 330A/330B from accidentally being damaged and allow the device 100 to be easily moved (e.g., away from the edge of the counter), in some embodiments, the leg members 330A/330B may be removable and/or retractable. For example, the legs members 330A/330B may be clipped on and off the base 110 as needed. Alternatively, as shown in
To secure the brace 400 to the device, the brace 400 may include a number of post members 430 that extend up from horizontal surface 410 of the brace 400. Additionally, the base 110 of the device 100 may include a number of holes 350 (
It should be noted that, although the brace 400 may be rigid in some embodiments, other embodiments may include a hinge 402 (
It is also worth noting that, although
It is important to note that the overall size of the device 100 should be balanced against the range of jar 300 sizes that the device 100 is most likely to encounter and the counter space that the device 100 will take up. For example, the device 100 should be large enough to accommodate most typical jar sizes (e.g., 1.5″ diameter to 5″ diameter jars) but not so large as to take up a large amount of counter space and/or not be able to fit into a drawer. Additionally or alternatively, when not being used to open jars 300, the device 100 may be used to hold other objects such as, but not limited to, vases, fruit bowls, decorative dishes, etc. In this manner, even when the device 100 remains on the countertop, the space occupied by the device 100 is not wasted.
The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be merely exemplary; numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined in any appended claims.
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